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Seoul Jung
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
4 reviews for Seoul Jung
i tried to take my visiting cousins to seoul jung for some great dolsot bibimbap.... but ALAS!!!!!!!!!!
their building has been repo'd by the owner!!!! the nerve!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
they don't have an answering machine, so i don't know the future of sj, but i'm hoping they will reopen soon! or at least relocate... preferably closer to my house :)
if anyone knows whats going on with sj, let me know! i'm craving their kalbi!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
6/6/2008
Every single Korean person I've met in Phoenix LOVES this place.
For good reason too. The food is… Read more »
3 1/2 Stars.
Recommended when I first moved to Phoenix by a Korean friend of mine, I ventured to Seoul Jung for lunch and had an all around pretty decent meal. It's in, say, an "up-and-coming" part of Glendale, I guess and when you walk in the first thing you smell is fresh paint (they seem to be re-doing the interiors), but hey, I don't mind that toxic fresh paint smell (don't get me started on rubber cement when I was in 1st grade).
Anyway, since I was running errands (ie. taxes), I was dining solo today and therefore abstained from doing actual barbeque. However, the tables I did see folks grilling on (although it was not crowded at all on this Friday lunch hour), had meat which looked and smelled great.
I ordered the bi bim bap (sizzling rice in a stone pot topped with sauteed and seasoned veggies and thinly sliced beef) with hot bean paste and when it got to me I was mildly disappointed, because it didn't look as tantalizing as the one my colleague had at Chuhgajib a few weeks ago. Also, the amount of beef in the dish was miniscule - it was pretty much veggie anyway. And I thought they were going to cook WITH the hot bean paste. Instead I just got a plastic squirt bottle of hot bean paste on the side. This was worth the extra $1 from the regular bi bim bap? Oh well. At least on the upside, it still tasted pretty good.
The banchan (a number of complimentary vegetable/seaweed side dishes served in small bowls) wasn't nearly as varied as Chuhgajib either, but the kimchi was definitely hotter (which was a bonus for me).
I was looking forward to ending the meal with a bowl of sikhye (chilled sweet rice soup) but none came. Some unmelted Orbit peppermint gum in my car had to suffice instead.
The friendly, and dare I say very striking, server seemed a bit harried running around the dining room by herself, but the service was good. I can't give a full review of either this place or Chuhgajib until I come with a carnivorous group and actually have their BBQ (ie. grill on the table), but the star ratings stand as far as the other offerings go.
If someone asked me to come back here to Seoul Jung for a meal, I'd say "sure" - for 10 bucks it was a fairly satisfying meal - but I'd also say, "Well, there's this other Korean joint a few miles further..."
However, in this neighborhood of Glendale, I'd definitely say it's the best thing going.
Excellent galbi - grilled marinated short ribs.
We happened to be in the area around dinner time and decided to check it out. As we parked our car, a whole Korean family walked out of Seoul Jung. This was a good sign.
We ordered the "Dol Sot Bibim-Bob" $10.90 and the only special to be found on the menu: #13. "Galbi & your choice of Naeng Myun" $13.90.
Soon after, the waiter brought over a multitude of banchan, including the standard bean sprouts, spinach and various kim chees. All were pretty much as expected.
We chose the non-spicy Naeng Myun, which is a giant bowl of chewy buckwheat noodles in an iced tangy beef broth with julienned veg and slices of Korean pear (the spicy version comes without soup). We were first introduced to this dish at Hodori in LA's K-town by a Korean friend and ever since we've been hooked. It's one of the most refreshing dishes - it cuts right through the heaviness of Galbi.
The Galbi came to the table sizzling on a hot plate. The generous pile of short ribs were tender and well-marinated - obviously from a very good cut.
The two of us were pretty full when the Bibimbab arrived. We waited a few minutes for the rice to get crispy along the sides of the hot stone pot (dol sot) before squeezing in the spicy bean paste and mixing up the contents - shredded veg, beef and raw egg. Despite our level of satiation, we still enjoyed it.
To cleanse our palates, the server brought us each a complimentary bowl of sikhye (sweet rice soup) as is custom. Korean food's all about the complimentary stuff - you can get unlimited refills of banchan.
We probably would have walked out happy with just the special but thought we should at least order a dish each. Room's a bit dated and the service is friendly. I think Mr K should give Seoul Jung another try at dinner.
This place is pretty good. I ordered Kal-bi-tang (Kalbi Soup?) and it was delicious. My friend ordered the combo, neng myun (cold noodle) with Kalbi and his order was okay but my Kal-bi-tang was better. My order was around 10 bucks and his combo was 14. The price is okay, neither cheap nor expensive. But I'd have to say this is the best korean place in Glendale. I'm from California so it's really hard to find good asian food places around here but I'd definitely come back to Seoul Jung again.
